"The Haigolong Legion's main force couldn't possibly march out of the Uranus Mountains and launch a surprise attack on Fort Howe right under the nose of the Zulu Outpost. Their transport fleet couldn't evade our satellite radar either," Augustus said with great confidence.
Though he was merely an ordinary NCO, whose duties amounted to obeying his superiors' orders and keeping his subordinates in line, Augustus spent his spare time—aside from reading and playing cards—studying maps and running tactical simulations on sand tables. He firmly believed it would come in handy one day.
"The Haigolong forces roaming around Fort Howe are actually assault detachments of one to three hundred men, scattered across roughly two million square miles of land. Added together, they only amount to a few thousand men—about the strength of one of our brigades."
"So I believe the enemy we're about to face may only number a few hundred, perhaps even fewer."
"Just a few hundred men, and they dare attack a fort?" The first squad leader had already been persuaded by Augustus, but he still found it unbelievable. Fort Howe's fortress-like outer walls were built from massive cubic stone blocks and clad in a thick layer of Plasteel plating. Its large-caliber autocannons and rotating automatic electromagnetic machine-gun turrets were enough to hold off an entire infantry brigade.
"Those Kel-Morians certainly have nerve, but that can't be the only thing driving them to take such a risk." Augustus looked at the others.
"There's an inside man!" Raynor had been listening nearby. He was naturally clever and good at thinking things through, and his tacit understanding with Augustus had only grown stronger over time.
"Peter, the hippie who flies the Gladiator transport. I knew it was him."
"Jerome? He's always sneaking around. He told me it was because he wanted